Attraction
by scarletvoid
Summary: It takes ten awry missions, a strange swan man and a clingy toddler for Kakashi and Naruto to realize they're attracted to each other. KakaNaru. FemNaruto. Slight AU! Short Chapters. On Hiatus while I sort my other fics out.
1. Prelude

**Summary: It takes ten awry missions, a strange swan man and a clingy toddler for Kakashi and Naruto to realize they're attracted to each other. KakaNaru. FemNaruto. Short Chapters. Slight AU!**

 **(Slight AU! As Sasuke never left the village. In this fanfiction, Naruto was the only one out of Team Seven who left Konoha and that was only to train under Jiraiya)**

 **OOC!ness! Jonin!Naruto. Read at your own risk!**

 **Cover Image belongs to camilamassuda on DeviantArt.**

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto.

Prelude

.

 _Maa, it was supposed to be an A-Rank mission,_ was all Kakashi could think as he stared down at the stack of paper in his hands, dark eye carefully blank and body slouching with disappointment.

When Tsunade told them that they (Naruto and Kakashi, because Sakura was celebrating her mother's birthday and Sasuke is ANBU) could possibly end up fighting a dragon, of all things, he had suspected that the informant had left something out but this was a _whole new_ _level_ of omitting information.

He remembers the mission scroll, _"In need of a shinobi to fight off a dragon and a strong kunoichi to act as bait! Will provide necessary clothes, a place to stay and three meals a day. Must be somewhat decent at controlling emotions."_

Where in the mission scroll did it even explain they were going to act in a play? Why not list this as a D-Rank mission instead? Is their client _insane_? Kakashi was a shinobi, he shouldn't have to play dress up and spew lines and dazzle an audience! He'd been looking forward to the usual good fight which comes along with an A-Rank mission. To be fair, if they were getting A-Rank pay for a D-Rank mission it was to their benefit, but he couldn't help but feel a little agitated. If he'd wanted a D-Rank mission he would have just taken one.

But, a mission is a mission. He swallows the indignation, rests his back against the headboard of the bed provided to him by their client and starts reading the script. The plot is horrible, he notices. It was about a princess who had been kidnapped by a neighbouring country and a ninja who is sent to save her. The knight supposedly defeats the king of said country and saves the princess when - surprise - a dragon appears as the last defence left by the king. The characters couldn't be more rushed even if they tried. All of their actions were so sudden and didn't fit their character at all and he couldn't even read the dialogue without feeling the impulse to cringe. He is barely done with the twentieth page before he hears Naruto's horrified yell in the room next to his and the sound of stomping echoes through the hall.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto yells, bursting into his room with an explosion of long blonde hair, black and orange and a horrified expression. She shoves her script into his face and screams, "What is this?!"

He blinks, glances down at the paper and then back up at the seventeen year old, raising a silver eyebrow. "Maa, that's paper, Naruto," and he gives his signature eye-smile for good measure.

"No!" She forcefully shoves it in his face again and he's glad he wears a mask because otherwise he'd have a mouth full of paper. "The words, last paragraph, Kaka-sensei! Read them!"

He takes it from her grip, hand brushing against hers, and reads. This isn't that bad, he thinks. Then he reads the next sentence and his eye widens.

 _{Ryota: 'Would it be too bold to ask for a kiss as payment, Fuyumi-hime?'_

 _Fuyumi: 'Never, Ryota-kun! You saved me, therefor you are the only suitor worthy of my hand!'_

 _Princess Fuyumi takes Ryota's face in her hands and they both kiss passionately.}_

All Kakashi can say through the tightness in his throat is, "I find Jiraiya-sama's work much more realistic."

Naruto's horrified yelling intensifies.


	2. One

**Summary: It takes ten awry missions, a strange swan man and a clingy toddler for Kakashi and Naruto to realize they're attracted to each other. KakaNaru. FemNaruto. Short Chapters. Slight AU!**

 **OOC!ness! Jonin!Naruto. Read at your own risk!**

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto.

1.

It's not that Naruto isn't pretty. It's just that it was hard to look past the smile in her eyes, the brightness of her face to really _look_ at her. It was hard to look at her and not see a grinning blonde midget in her place, with her old orange jumpsuit and the shadow of Minato staring at him through her eyes. It had been hard to look at her first, because she represented everything he had lost; everything he couldn't protect, and everything he _desperately_ wanted back. It had taken a lot for him to look past that, but she never gave up, even if she didn't know why he avoided her. That's one of the things he admired about Naruto. She never, ever gave up.

Kakashi hopes that she never changes. In a world that's constantly changing, Kakashi hopes that Naruto can stay the same.

He meets her at the table for breakfast, and by then their client, Mrs. Akashi, had gone off to the theatre to prepare for the play. Naruto's long blonde hair is hanging limp and wet from her bath, her blue eyes were narrowed and she grumbled curse words under her breath, her script held loosely in her hands. He knows exactly how she felt - forced to do this horrible, agonising mission that was actually D-Rank and they couldn't skip out because _what kind of jounin couldn't do a D-Rank mission_?

She shares a long-suffering look with him before they begin to chow down their breakfast, and his stomach is almost fluttering with his nerves because for once, she is silent. It feels almost awkward, because it had never just been Naruto or Kakashi before. It had always been Sakura, Naruto, Sasuke and Kakashi or just Sakura, Naruto and Kakashi. There was always someone to continue the conversation, and with just two of them it felt… unsettling. Strange.

So Kakashi pulls out his _Icha Icha: Violence_ to avoid the awkwardness, eye-smiling when he catches the twitch in Naruto's eye the moment she caught sight of the book. He would have thought she was used to it by now, with both him and Jiraiya-sama's pervertedness, but it seems like she would would forever have Tsunade-sama's opinion on it.

Before he can even start reading, however, Naruto pushes down her annoyance and asks, "Hey, Ero-Kaka-sensei, have you finished reading the script, yet?"

He twitched at the new nickname. "Maa, I have..."

"Then lets practice, or something!" she throws her arms, up, tanned skin looking more golden in the light of the sun streaming in from the window, "It's so boring here, we might as well practice so we don't screw up. What kind of jounin will we be if we fail a D-Rank mission? We'll be laughing stocks!"

"Maa, it was listed as an A-Rank…"

"So? We both know that this is a D-Rank mission! I, for one, refuse to fail any mission I get, _believe it_!"

Kakashi winced. Naruto had gone so long without using her verbal tick that he completely forgot about it. An image of her as a genin flashed through his mind, bright-eyed with a toothy smile, a time when he'd been someone cold, distant, and in a way he still was. They were comrades, friends, they trusted each other with their lives as any shinobi has to accept the moment they leave the academy. But they did not trust each other with their personal lives - their fears, their thoughts, history, what they love and why they value what they value. He knew that Naruto didn't mind sharing these things with Sakura, and maybe Sasuke, but Kakashi was always different. Kakashi hadn't let anyone know that side of him for a long, long time.

"Alright," he relented with a wary sigh, standing and stretching his long legs, scratching at his covered cheek. Naruto's cerulean eyes traced him with a flicker of a smile before focusing on her script.

It would be a long day.


	3. Two

**Summary: It takes ten awry missions, a strange swan man and a clingy toddler for Kakashi and Naruto to realize they're attracted to each other. KakaNaru. FemNaruto. Short Chapters. Slight AU!**

 **OOC!ness! Jonin!Naruto. Read at your own risk!**

Thanks for being so supportive of this story already, even if the chapters are short and the story seems slow. Your reviews mean a lot. :)

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto.

2.

If Naruto was the sun, then Kakashi was the moon.

Kakashi was the silent, knowing protector in the night, the one coated in silver and shrouded through the clouds, watching, but distant, out of reach. But Naruto was the upfront, comforting warmth on skin and bright, dazzling smiles all around, hair like liquid gold and the sky in her eyes. Kakashi was the calming wind, the moonlight that shielded against the darkness, guiding, and Naruto was the beacon of light, leading, caring. Kakashi was whispered excuses – _distractions_ , and Naruto was _truth_ and _hope_.

Sometimes, Naruto imagines that if Kakashi-sensei were to take his mask off, another would be in place.

Because to Naruto, he's not just Kaka-sensei, her aloof, detached, lazy teacher. He's a mystery, like some kind of endless _onion_ because no matter how many layers she peels off he doesn't seem to have a centre – a side of Kakashi that you just know is _real_. And it's frustrating, so _frustrating_ , because there have been rare moments, where she's fought alongside him and she's _swore_ that she'd seen a glimpse, a _flash_ of that person, the one behind all those persona's, the one who hides himself behind the pages of those perverted books and sardonic, dry humor and just _is_.

And with all of that considered, Kakashi-sensei is still a horrible ( _horrible!_ ) actor when it comes to romantic scenes. Naruto doesn't understand.

"Oh, dear Fuyumi-hime, how your beauty shines," he deadpans in a flat, hollow voice.

" _No_ , Kaka-sensei!" She lectured, throwing her arms in the air, nearly hitting him in the face with the script in her exasperation, cheeks puffed out and brow twitching. "You need emotion! _Emotion!_ I know you don't have a heart, but can't you at least _try_ to grow one for the sake of the mission?"

"Maa, I don't think that's possible, Naruto. After all, doesn't there need to be a seed planted for growth? I assure you, no such thing exists in here," he taps where his heart is and eye-smiles when she bristles. There's a wailing, inside her head, screaming, _how did I deserve being stuck with this lazy pervert?_

"I don't care! You're going to grow one even if I have to pound it into you!"

But all Kaka-sensei does is give her a dry look, hums, and says, "Good luck." He turns and pulls out his _Icha Icha: Violence_.

She eyes it, and tilts her head, wondering why he doesn't bring the one she gifted him after her return, especially since he had been so eager to read it. "Ero-Kaka-sensei?"

"Hm?" He tries to hide it, but she can see the way he twitches at the name, and she smirks.

"Why don't you bring _Icha Icha: Tactics_ on missions?" The subject change is quick and random and she watches as his eyes widened, surprised, before narrowing and turning away to stare at the pages of his book.

There's a pause, and for a moment, Naruto holds her breath. He doesn't turn to look at her, but she can see the way his fingers tremble and struggle to catch the corner of a page, and how he places his hand underneath the book to hold it up, out of her sight.

When he speaks, his voice is disinterested, bland, like they were talking about the weather. "I guess it's because it's precious to me."

She understands, a warmth growing under her skin, coiling around her heart, dangerous and quick like a snake and equally as deadly. "You left it so–" _so it doesn't get destroyed on a mission._

Another pause, then he utters, almost delicately, "Yes."

Naruto's heart is racing, beating like the wings of the morning birds as they push off the trees and rise above Konoha. She doesn't know what else to say, so she doesn't. Naruto reaches over a plucks the ero-sennin's work out of his rigid hand and places it on the table, offering her hand to him. "C'mon, Kakashi-sensei," she says with renewed brightness, "Let's try this again."

He takes her hand.


	4. Three

**Summary: It takes ten awry missions, a strange swan man and a clingy toddler for Kakashi and Naruto to realize they're attracted to each other. KakaNaru. FemNaruto. Short Chapters.**

Longer chapter this time, since you guys have all been so supportive! Apologies that you won't see Kaka and Naru acting like themselves much in this chapter, considering they have to act as Ryota-kun and Fuyumi-hime. If you see any mistakes, please let me know so I can fix it. :)

 **OOC!ness! Jonin!Naruto. Read at your own risk!**

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto.

3.

Kakashi knew he was a good actor. He'd acted tons of times, in the middle of many battles. It was easy. Deception was a ninja's greatest tool, after all. It was just the more… romantic type of acting that Kakashi wasn't familiar with. Most females were usually driven away by the sight of him giggling perversely into his _Icha Icha_ as he walked through the streets. He didn't count this as a loss, though, because infiltration of assassination through seduction was a familiar thing amongst shinobi and one can never be too careful. Especially if you're Copy-nin Kakashi, the only student left of the Yondaime Hokage.

He wonders how village would react when they find out Naruto is their Yondaime Hokage's daughter.

Speaking of Naruto, she had been stuffed into a Jūnihitoe and had her hair done. The kimono was too big and made her look bulky which seemed to make her more disgruntled. He remembered her screaming in the stall next to him as some women forced her into it, yelling something about not being able to fight with so many layers on. As for him, he'd been placed into standard shinobi uniform though it had no features that bound it to any village. He shrugged them on, a little relieved that he wasn't wearing something embarrassing like Naruto was.

So far, the play went surprisingly well. The plot was entirely stupid and the crowd seemed to cheer at almost everything. The story was not as good as Jiraiya-sama's work, but that was okay. Not _everyone_ can be as perfect as Jiraiya-sama after all.

During their last scene, Kakashi noticed a man with chestnut hair, midnight eyes and a long, thin face sneak on stage.

 _"_ _Animation Jutsu: Breath of Life!"_ He watched as the man from the corner of his eye had begun to make hand signs at the dragon cutout. He'd almost summoned a shadow clone to take him out unnoticeably until he saw Mrs. Akashi give the man an enthusiastic thumbs up and a toothy smile of gratitude from backstage.

In a strange twist of fate, they didn't even have to act at all, after that. Their incredulous and shocked expressions were completely natural when the large cutout of the dragon started to move and expand and come alive before their very eyes. It eyed them and snorted a wave of fire through it's nose. The audience gave a round of amazed gasps.

"Er, Ka– I mean, Ryota-kun…" Naruto began, staring up at the scaly, huge dragon that suddenly seemed to find itself of the stage. " _Dragon!_ Ryota-kun, save me! You're a ninja, aren't you?" It gave a roar that vibrated along the ground from the force of it.

Kakashi found it mildly amusing how Naruto was still able to keep in her (horribly written) character despite the problem they now found themselves faced with. He glanced to the side and met her eyes, and nodded to her. She had been ordered to act as bait for this mission, while Kakashi had been ordered to take the dragon down. It seemed their client had been at least _somewhat_ truthful, after all. It was sort of ironic, he thought.

"Don't worry, Fuyumi-hime!" He looked at her with a fake supportive look, "I'll take this scaly lizard out before you know it!" The words tasted so wrong in his mouth, so unlike him - especially with the amount of forced enthusiasm he's put into them. Naruto's noise began to wrinkle in agreement to his thoughts but she quickly hid it with a faux fearful expression, diving behind him.

He focused on the dragon, knowing that the script said that he'd have to take it out with some kind of taijutsu. Before he could decide on what to use to beat it and look good for the audience, the dragon opened it's jaws wide, showing sharp glinting teeth, and blew a large, hot stream of fire towards them.

"Water Release: Water Encampment Wall!" Kakashi blew out a stream of chakra through his mask which turned into water – a strange sensation to his throat itself – and created a wall, hitting the fire and creating steam. Moments later Kakashi had to drag Naruto down – which was actually sort of hard considering the amount of layers she was wearing along with the length – to avoid a spiked, scaly tail which swung right over their heads with force and hit the stone tower, causing it to crumble to dust. Glancing up, he could see something near the dragon's back legs, hidden under the tail… that's _it_!

"Fuyumi-hime, stay back! I'll need room for this!" He ordered Naruto without looking back at her. He heard her quickly hike up her Jūnihitoe and stumble to the side. Immediately, Kakashi sprang like a tiger to prey, dodging under the dragon's tail once again and—

"Hidden Finger Jutsu: A Thousand Years of Death!" His fingers poked into the dragon's rectum with force. The dragon let out a loud roar of horror before falling into a dead faint, crumbling to the ground with such force that the rocks placed by the stagehands flew into the air before crashing down again. The dragon twitched and began to crumble to dust right before his eyes.

There was a moment of still, almost deafening silence, before the audience burst into applause, cheers and whistles mixing with the noise. Kakashi eye-smiled.

"No way," Naruto deadpanned lowly behind him, expression incredulous. "You gotta be kidding me," She said in a voice only he could hear. Kakashi bit back a chuckle as the crowd began to quiet.

"Fuyumi-hime," he asked, his face twisting into one of concern. "Are you harmed?"

"No, I'm not." Naruto replied, lips blooming into a soft but radiant smile that actually made Kakashi's breath to leave him. Wow, she was _really_ good at acting, wasn't she? It made him wonder how many times she'd hidden her feelings in front of Team Seven. "How could I ever repay you, Ryota-kun?"

Were they at they point in the script _already_? Kakashi's muscles tightened, and his heart beat picked up. "Would…" Kakashi didn't even have to act - his throat was tightening all on it's own, his stomach suddenly buzzing with nerves. When was the last time he'd kissed someone, again? "Would it be too bold to ask for a kiss as payment, Fuyumi-hime?"

He watched as Naruto's cheeks bled a dark red, almost as vivid as her red eyes when she uses the Kyuubi's chakra. It was a strangely endearing sight, one that made heat bloom in his chest. He wonders how she can blush on command like that. What a strange skill to have. "Never, Ryota-kun! You saved me, therefor you're the only suitor worthy of my hand!"

If he wasn't dreading what would happen next, he would have winced at the horrible dialogue.

She steps closer. He gulps, feeling his breath stutter unsteadily. As he pulls his mask down, he uses chakra and henges his face into a stranger's in the crowd, leaving only the upper part of his face the same. Naruto narrows her eyes, and if he wasn't so nervous he would've smirked at her. She wanted to see his face that badly, hm?

He tucks a hand against the back of her neck, brushing against the soft, warm skin with his fingers and catching a few of her loose golden hairs. He heard her breath hitch, saw her eyelids flutter unsteadily, almost dazedly, and a trickle of warmth ran through him. Forcing down his anxiety, Kakashi closed his eye, leaning in so close he could feel her ragged breath on his lips, could smell her fresh, spicy scent. He edged closer.

There was a poof of smoke, and his lips hit a rough earthy material, rather than the soft, plush mouth that he'd embarrassingly imagined. His eye shot open.

He was kissing a log. He was holding a log in his arms. The audience watched him with unblinking eyes before bursting into loud, enthusiastic applause, shouts merging together in a roar that reminded him of a lion. His eye twitched.

And then there was Naruto in the shadows of the stage, a hand clamped over her mouth and the other clutching her stomach as she muffled her hysterical laughter. Embarrassment rose deep within him and he scratched his cheek. The red curtains snapped shut behind him, ending the play and the sound of applause dulled to delighted murmurs and shuffling of feet as the crowd left. Naruto emerged from the shadows, cackling as he pulls his mask up and dissolved the henge.

"Ha! You should've seen your face, Ero-Kaka-sensei! It was priceless! Wait until I tell Sakura about this!"

"Naruto?" He asked, eye-smiling and voice deathly calm. A dark aura grew around him, promising pain and suffering.

"Yeah?" She replied, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand which came back wet with tears of laughter.

"Start running."

Her expression of laughter began to slowly morph into pure horror. Faster than a strike of thunder, she turned and took off in a shimmer of yellow.

He watched her disappear with an mildly amused look, before shaking his head and grabbing his _Icha Icha: Violence_ out of his pocket. "Maa, I wonder how long it will take her to figure out I'm not chasing her."

He turns and walks to the dressing room, ignoring the filthy looks he was getting from the crew at his choice of literature.


	5. Four

**Summary: It takes ten awry missions, a strange swan man and a clingy toddler for Kakashi and Naruto to realize they're attracted to each other. KakaNaru. FemNaruto. Short Chapters. Slight AU!**

 **OOC!ness! Jonin!Naruto. Read at your own risk!**

Thank you for all of your positive reviews — they really keep up my motivation and inspiration! Also, shoutout to _fluffpenguin_ for fixing my spelling mistakes and letting me know when characters are being OOC, it's really appreciated and helps a lot! Thank you! That being said, if anyone notices I don't put in any of Naruto's or Kakashi's habits please let me know - if I'm going to write about this I'm going to give it my all. :)

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto.

4.

"—and Fuyumi-hime turning out to be a kunoichi! Amazing! I couldn't have thought to add a twist like that at all!" Mrs. Akashi said, the sun practically beaming from her eyes as she clasped her hands together and held them under her chin, giving them both an adoring look. "You two are the best shinobi I've ever had as actors!"

"Uh, thanks?" Naruto said, scratching the back of her head dazedly with an expression of extreme confusion. She was back in her usual black and orange gear that seemed way too bright against the darkening sky and shadowed houses in the street.

"Tell you what, I'll treat you to a dinner date at this nice new vegan restaurant to celebrate!" The woman babbled, "Of course I won't be able to attend, but I'll set a reservation and put it to my tab."

"Maa, how kind of you," Kakashi said happily, eye-smiling.

Meanwhile, Naruto cried out in horror. _Vegan_? That meant no ramen on the menu at all! At least, not _good_ ramen. It would be disgusting, spinach ramen or something gross like that. Naruto raised her hands, palms facing outwards as she took a step back. "No, it's really no big deal. A mission is a mission, we'll be happy to just cook a meal like _ramen_ back at the house or something, you don't have to go to the trouble of–"

"No, no, it's a gift! Let me thank you properly! You've given me a whole lot of new ideas and inspiration! Arigatou!"

"It's settled, then." Kakashi said, before Naruto could open her mouth. He shot her a look that promised vengeance if she continued, and Naruto knew that he only wanted it so bad cause it was free. Her sensei was such a _cheapskate_. "Arigatou for your hospitality, Akashi-san."

 _Just look on the bright side_ , she thought to herself, _at least there'll be free food, even if it's not ramen._

Hesitantly, Naruto thanked her as well. "Arigatou Akashi-san."

It's later that night where Naruto sees Kakashi regretting that decision. The moment they arrive, a blond man in a expensive, tight-looking swan costume grabs them and buried their faces in his chest, crooning about how cute of a couple they were. Well – perhaps it went differently, with Kakashi swerving out of the way almost effortlessly and leaving Naruto to suffer in the arms of a strange swan man, but the details weren't important in her opinion.

"Oh!" The strange man began tearfully, tightening his hold on a pale Naruto. "The wonders of love! You newlyweds are so joyful and fresh that it brings tears to my eyes! I owe Akashi-sama for sending such a sweet youthful pair into my restaurant to feast upon the fruits of my labour!"

 _Y-Youthful… F-Fruits of his labour…?_

Naruto could feel herself beginning to turn green as this man gives her an awful reminder of the Green Beast of Konoha and his student. Black dots appear in her eyes as her vision doubles and a comparison of the two spandex-wearing men appear next to the man suffocating her and dazedly, she thinks, _please kami not another one_.

Kakashi, too, looks a little mortified as he eyes the man with new wariness, as if he were expecting him to throw off a wig and swan suit to reveal shining black hair and green spandex and declare him his eternal rival. He scratches his mask-covered cheek almost helplessly.

"Kakashi-sensei," Naruto wheezed, lifting her free hand towards him with a look of painful hope shining in her cerulean eyes. "Please save me."

He turned away and buried his face in his book. "Maa, did you say something?" he replied, voice muffled and unaffected. Naruto lowered her hand, staring at the back of his head with a betrayed expression.

"Traitor!" She yelled.

"I'll have the table with the best view set up! _Oh_ , I'll make sure it will be _very_ _romantic_ for your date! Now come along my faithful friends, your table awaits~!" There was a long, stretched out, horrified whimper as the swan man dragged the two to their table.

The restaurant really wasn't so bad, Naruto thought dazedly. It was a nice setup on the second floor, a clothes shop settled on ground below them. It had a lot of windows and a nice view of the green scenery, the walls had wood panelling rather than having wallpaper and the furniture was earthy. It definitely fit the vegan theme they had going. It even smelt earthy and full of nature and it was strangely satisfying.

The strange swan man set them in a booth in a secluded corner with the best view of the scenery and disappeared, claiming he was going to give them the "special newlyweds package." Naruto wanted to tell him that she would rather swear off ramen for a month than have the "newlyweds package."

As soon as he was out of sight, she rounded on Kakashi who was relaxing in the booth, back to the wall and long, lanky legs stretched out on the seat as if he didn't have a care in the world. "Kakashi-sensei, you're useless!" She began, uncaring as he twitched at her insult. "Why didn't you help me? We could have cleared it up and we could have left by now and instead I could be eating _ramen_!"

Kakashi, though, was milking it for all it was worth. "Hm? I don't see anything wrong." He said, with too much nonchalance to not be cackling on the inside.

"That – that swan-man- _thing_ , thinks we're married!" Naruto spluttered with absolute horror.

"Maa, sounds like you have a really big problem," he replied airily, eye glued to the book in his hand, as if he were completely apathetic to the events happening around him. "Best finish that up quick, _Tsuma._ "

Naruto's eye twitched.

And though Naruto knew that even though he didn't show it, Kakashi was definitely regretting staying when they stumbled out of the restaurant two hours later covered in rose petals and heart stickers while shuddering violently. Both solemnly swore to never speak a word of their experience again.


	6. Five

**Summary: It takes ten awry missions, a strange swan man and a clingy toddler for Kakashi and Naruto to realize they're attracted to each other. KakaNaru. FemNaruto. Short Chapters.**

 **OOC!ness! AU! Jonin!Naruto. Read at your own risk!**

I know that over the past few chapters Naruto is showing more intelligence in her speech than she's known for, but this is a fanfiction and I would believe that Naruto being female would change some things about him, at least. That and the fact that I've made it so Naruto has read Jiraiya's work, expanding her vocab a little (I mean, he is an author) and making her more understanding of what happens in intimate relationships and making her more aware of things like that.

Honestly edited this chapter a million times because the one I posted was weird and uncomfortable.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto.

5.

No matter how much Naruto thinks she knows Kakashi, there is always a wall between them. A invisible, strong one, as hard as chakra-infused iron.

It's like as soon as he catches on to how Naruto or Sakura steers the conversation in the direction of personal lives, his defences snap back up, like a clam protecting it's prized pearl. He hides behind his aloof humor, eye-smiles and buries himself in Icha Icha, like it's some sort of shield against them, and maybe it was for other people. But not for Naruto. Not when she'd spent three years with the author of the series. Not when she's read it. Not anymore.

Despite that, Kakashi does it all so smoothly, so easily that Naruto wonders if he even knows he's doing it.

On some level it hurts, because Kakashi is someone she _wants_ to know, because _Kakashi_ stands out of the crowd, because _Kakashi_ looks at her without judgement and without anger, because _Kakashi_ is charismatic, an unconscious leader, someone strong who Naruto looks up to and respects and wants to understand and in return, be understood by.

Not anyone else. _Kakashi_.

Sometimes, Naruto wonders what is behind this facade. She wonders who the real Kakashi is, if he is someone truly untouchable on the inside as he is on the outside, or if he hides something vulnerable. What could be so bad that he wants people to think he's a lazy, perverted idiot despite his status and achievements? How long had he been doing this for?

Dazedly, she wonders if Kakashi even knows his true nature. She wonders if his identity had changed without him knowing, if he's been hiding so long that there's nothing truly left but his persona and that's what he's really become.

She remembers the warmth that had erupted beneath her skin, coiling around her heart when she'd found out that _Icha Icha: Tactics_ , the book Naruto had given to him, was something he found precious. Precious enough to not take on missions, even though he brings the other books of the series along.

Naruto eyes the red cover of _Icha Icha: Violence_ as he reads and reaches into her backpack, snacking on a ration bar as they walked. "Don't you have any hobbies, other than reading Icha Icha?"

Kakashi was looking slightly surprised at her sudden question, as for the last few hours they had walked in an uncomfortable silence, both reflecting on the night before. He gives a shrug, scratching his masked cheek with a free hand. "Hm, I have lots of hobbies."

He was almost as talkative as Sasuke before they had become Team Seven and he'd started with his monologuing _'_ Hn _-I-must-become-_ Hn _-a-psychopath-and-kill-my-_ Hn _-brother'_ rants.

"Argh! C'mon Kaka-sensei, can't you answer at least one question seriously?" Naruto loudly asks, exasperation laced in her tone, cheeks puffed and brows twitching. Her hands reached up to tug and weave erratically in sunlit blonde hair which shined like a beacon in the green, isolated forest.

She expects him to give her a sarcastic quip, or maybe ignore her and ask if she'd said something, but all he does is hum and say, "I did answer the question seriously."

Naruto twitches, hands tightening to fists. "No, you didn't."

He knew so many facts on them, about their personal life, she realised. Can't she have just this one thing? Are his hobbies really so bad?

"You asked if I had any other hobbies. I said I did." He replied absently, but she sees the way his mask twitched where his cheek was supposed to be, how he pulled his porn book closer to him like it would protect him.

"B-But you-!" Naruto bristles, fingers fluttering angrily and cheeks puffed. Then, like a switch had gone off, she takes a breath. "Will you... Will you ever open up to us, sensei?"

There's something fragile in her tone, and she feels embarrassed as soon as she notices it. She sees him catch it as well and watches the way his shoulders stiffened and how his head turned slightly away from her, as if uncomfortable.

But, to her surprise, he doesn't push her away. He does ignore her question though.

"Maa, perhaps… maybe you shouldn't call me sensei anymore." Kakashi said, watching her cautiously out the the corner of his eye, as if expecting her to scream out that she wouldn't do as he suggested. "You've been a jonin for a while now, haven't you? I'm your comrade now, not your teacher. Call me Kakashi."

 _Kakashi. Call me Kakashi._

The line which had separated them as student and teacher, separated them as equals, faded before her eyes.

It was a sensei's decision if they wanted to include their students in their personal life or not, and so far Kakashi hadn't. Naruto didn't really share much of her personal life with him either. Once, when she had been a genin it had been an uncomfortable idea to Naruto but that was back then, when she was lonely but scared. It was different now. She wasn't a scared little girl anymore, hiding behind false bravado.

And Kakashi had given the go.

Naruto watches, eyes narrowed, before slowly she begins to smile a blinding smile a great deal brighter than the sun itself and twice as warm. "Okay, Kakashi."

He doesn't reply, and he doesn't need to. Naruto can see the way his eye crinkled into a smile, one much more gentler than the other ones he gave, one filled with relief and happiness.

They walk through Konoha's gate together in silence. This time it's a comfortable one.


End file.
